Founded in 1988, the Miami Heat is not a team with a long history. It cannot be said that 35 years is short, but there are not a few teams with a history more than twice that, so if you simply consider the depth of time, it belongs to the shallow side. However, the Heat are not envious of quite a few teams. Although the history may not be long, it is because they are making records comparable to those of the self-proclaimed prestigious team.
Over the course of 35 years, they have left behind 3 final championships, 6 conference championships, and 16 division championships. It’s not even a dynasty, but there aren’t many teams that have been as consistent as this. Compare that to the Los Angeles Clippers, who have won only two division titles since they were founded in 1970, and you might feel the difference.
In the meantime, Miami has had three revivals, but the impact of successful outside recruitment was greater than franchise stars. The first revival period was from the mid to late 1990s. Tim Hardaway (56‧183cm), who was called the magician of dribbling, and Alonzo Mourning (53‧208cm), one of the best undersized big men of all time, were at the center. Even though not only the two, but also many of the key players were recruited from various teams, they boasted a solid organizational power, and their fighting spirit and toughness were as good as any other team. In the 1996-97 season, the franchise recorded 61 wins and advanced to the conference finals.
The second revival period was centered on ‘Flash’ Dwyane Wade (41‧193cm) and ‘Dinosaur Center’ Shaquille O’Neal (51‧216cm). . Wade (41, 193cm), who was selected with the 5th pick in the 1st round of the 2003 draft, is one of the most loved players in Miami history, even though he did not become a one-club man.
Among fans, he is practically recognized as a franchise star. At the time, while Wade was growing as one of the best technicians in the league, O’Neill, who had entered the end of his heyday, joined and achieved a ‘one-two punch’ and won the first championship in team history in the 2005-06 season finals. O’Neal had good grades during his time with the LA Lakers, but there were many big and small conflicts with the late Kobe Bryant.
On the other hand, when he moved to Miami, he led the team while comforting his teammates like a big brother. His talent was excellent, but he also made Wade, who was young and short-lived, a self-confident ace by constantly cheering him up. At that time, Wade’s performance on the final stage was at the level of ‘I couldn’t stop it even if I knew it’, and it is still evaluated as the best ever. ㅋㅋㅋ벳
The third revival period is the famous ‘Big 3’ era of LeBron, Wade, and Bosch. In the 2010 off-season, the Miami club exploded a huge nuclear bomb in the free agent market. With Wade in good health, he succeeds in bringing in ‘King’ LeBron James (38‧206cm), who was considered the best player in active life, and Chris Bossy (39‧209cm). Other teams were astonished by the formation of the all-time ‘Big 3’.
More than anything, what scared them was that all three of them got together when they were in their prime, compared to the previous ‘super teams’ that were formed after their prime had declined to some extent. There were also high voices criticizing their actions, such as ‘destroyed the romance of the franchise’ and ‘stars who should compete with each other and create stories became on the same side and reduced the quality of the league’.